The Fossil Record

Most fossils form when organisms that die become buried in sediments

• True
• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

By determining the age of fossils, scientists can reconstruct the history of life on Earth

• True
• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

In what way can scientists determine the ages of fossils?

• relative dating
• radioactive dating
• law of superposition
• All of the above

In layers of sedimentary rock, the _________ layer is usually at the bottom. Each higher layer is _________ than the layers below it.

• oldest, younger
• youngest, older
• youngest, younger
• oldest, older

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Relative dating can only help scientists determine whether one fossil is older than another.

• True
• False

Scientists use unstable elements that decay, called _________ elements, to determine the actual age of a fossil.

• radioactive
• cation
• anion
• petrified 

The millions of fossils that scientists have collected are called

• The Geologic Time Scale
• The Origin of Species
• The Fossil Record
• A really neat fossil collection

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?

• Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years
• Fossils show that some species have gone extinct
• Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past
• Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

True or False: Evidence from the fossil record shows that species change gradually over time.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which rock layer most likely contains fossils of the oldest organisms?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4